WELCOME MESSAGE

 

Dear Colleagues and Students,

Since its beginning in the 1960s, Biomineralization as a scientific discipline has experienced an exceptional development and is currently a true interdisciplinary field of scientific study. Its potential application in areas as diverse as medical, veterinary and dental science, agriculture, evolutionary biology and astrobiology, geology and geochemistry, archaeology, paleontology, environmental science, biotechnology, biomimetics and bio-inspired materials science, engineering and nanotechnology bears witness to the importance of understanding the processes by which living organisms precipitate inorganic minerals. Although the scientific output from the growing field of Biomineralization can be found in numerous and sometimes unrelated journals, the Series of International Symposia on Biomineralization has gathered the most enthusiastic scientists and students from different fields to exchange experimental techniques, reconcile disciplinary jargon, and share concepts, and thereby contribute to increased friendship and collaborative interactions among the Symposia participants.

Previous International Symposia on Biomineralization have been held in:

1º Mainz, Germany, 1970

2º Georgetown, SC, USA, 1974

3º Kashokijima, Japan, 1977

4º Amsterdam, Holland, 1982

5º Arlington, TX, USA, 1986

6º Odawara, Japan, 1990

7º Monaco City, Monaco, 1993

8º Niigata, Japan, 2001

This is the first time that an International Symposium on Biomineralization is taking place in the Southern Hemisphere, specifically in Chile, “this long and narrow fringe of land,” birthplace of poets and source of inspiration for naturalists. It is a hospitable and wonderful place. As a tricontinental country (Antartic, South American and Easter Island territories), Chile has more than 5,000 km of coast, huge mountains and volcanos, fertile valleys, deserts and forests, and almost all climates, except tropical. The place chosen for the meeting, Pucón ( which in native mapudungun means great corner or entrance to the mountains) is 700 km south from Santiago, the Chilean capital, and is a region of wonderful lakes, volcanoes, and splendid landscape.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I would like to encourage everyone to participate in the upcoming 9 th International Symposium on Biomineralization: From Paleontology to Materials Science, and I wish you a safe journey and a wonderful time.

See you in Pucón.

Sincerely

José Luis Arias